Data communication systems are used by which to communicate data and their use is pervasive in modern society. The capability of a data communication system is sometimes defined in terms of its throughput capability due to the significance of the throughput rate at which data is communicated to the performance of a data communication service. High-speed data communication services have historically been performed by way of wireline communication systems. However, the evolution of communication technologies increasingly permits high-speed data communication services to be carried out by way of radio, i.e., wireless, communication systems. Increasingly, data services that necessitate the communication of large amounts of data in short periods of time are able to be performed by way of a radio communication system that provides for the communication of the data at high data throughput rates. With increasingly data intensive communication services, there is a continuing need to provide for radio communication systems that provide for yet higher data throughput rates.
A cellular communication system is exemplary of a radio communication system that increasingly is used by which to communicate data at high data throughput rates. A GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cellular communication system, for instance, has been developed and widely deployed that provides for the performance of data communication services. Many GSM systems provide for GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), a high-speed data communication service. An extension to GPRS, referred to as EDGE (Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution), is presently undergoing deployment. EDGE communications, in general, adds 8-PSK modulation, incremental redundancy, and adaptive modulation and coding to GPRS communications. And, through these additions, an EDGE-capable communication system provides for communication of data at data throughput rates that are significantly higher than those achievable in GSM/GPRS only communication systems. In spite of improved communication capabilities of an EDGE-capable system, there are ongoing efforts yet further to improve the communication capabilities of communications in such a system.
In the existing EDGE communication scheme, a relatively high transmission latency limits communication capabilities. The transmission latency results as, in the existing scheme, data of a radio block is transmitted over multiple TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) frames of a slotted interface defined in the communication scheme. More particularly, the data of a radio block is transmitted in four bursts occurring over four TDMA frames. And, as a result, to communicate the data of the radio block requires the time period for responding to the four frames in which to communicate the data of the radio block. When the data is communicated pursuant to an acknowledgment scheme, additional time is required in which to acknowledge the reception of the communicated data.
If a manner could be provided by which to reduce the transmission latency of the existing communication scheme, improved effective data throughput rates and improved communication performance would result.
It is in light of this background information related to communication of data in a slotted-interface radio communication system that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.